Ever wondered what every NFL team’s best pick was at a certain numerical slot?
The Carolina Panthers are picking No. 1 overall. No doubt Cam Newton comes to mind. Is he the best ever No. 1 overall pick the Panthers have ever had?
Who is the best No. 2 overall pick for the Houston Texans? Et cetera and so on.
Some teams won’t exactly be on the list, like the San Francisco 49ers, as they don’t have any first-round picks as of the publication of this list.
Don’t forget that the Miami Dolphins would have been picking No. 21 overall, but that was forfeited as part of their punishment from the NFL for tampering. So not only are they out, but they alter the draft history a bit at No. 21.
Here is a list of every team’s historically best pick at its 2023 draft positioning in the first round.
1. Carolina Panthers — QB Cam Newton
The Auburn product is the only No. 1 overall pick to date the Panthers have ever had. The 2011 first-rounder lived up to the billing as he led Carolina to four playoff appearances, three NFC South titles and a berth in Super Bowl 50. Newton also led the Panthers to a 15-1 record and was the league MVP in Carolina’s successful 2015 campaign.
2. Houston Texans — N/A
The Texans have yet to make a second overall selection.
3. Arizona Cardinals — FB Ollie Matson
Matson was a six-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro with the Chicago Cardinals from 1952-58, generating 761 carries for 3,331 yards and 24 touchdowns. Matson’s time with the Cardinals served as the basis for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1972. The San Francisco product finished out his career with the Los Angeles Rams (1959-62), Detroit Lions (1963) and Philadelphia Eagles (1964-66).
4. Indianapolis Colts — RB Edgerrin James
One could look at James as a running back, but in a pass-heavy offense led by Peyton Manning, the best way is to look at his scrimmage yards. The 1999 No. 4 overall pick generated 12,065 yards with 75 total touchdowns through 2005. The four-time Pro Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
5. Seattle Seahawks — N/A
The Seahawks have yet to make a selection at No. 5 overall. Good thing the Denver Broncos wanted Russell Wilson.
6. Detroit Lions — OL Alex Wojciechowicz
Detroit drafted Wojciechowicz in 1938, and was a two-way player for the Lions in the trenches. The Fordham product has 19 interceptions, a pick-six and seven fumble recoveries in his 134 games with Detroit (1938-46) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1946-50).
7. Las Vegas Raiders — S Michael Huff
The Raiders took Huff in 2006, and the Texas safety collected 441 combined tackles, 11 interceptions, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 5.5 sacks through 108 games, 93 of which he started. Huff left after the 2012 season and did not make the Pro Bowl while in Oakland.
8. Atlanta Falcons — CB DeAnglo Hall
The Falcons took Hall from Virginia Tech in 2004, and he made the Pro Bowl twice in Hotlanta while wearing Deion Sanders’ No. 21. Hall had 202 combined tackles, six tackles for loss, a half-sack, 17 interceptions, two pick-sixes, three forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two returned for touchdowns.
9. Chicago Bears — LB Brian Urlacher
Urlacher joined the Bears in 2000 and carried the mantle of the great linebackers who comprised the Monsters of the Midway throughout the decades. The 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year picked up four first-team All-Pro and eight Pro Bowl selections during his career from 2000-12. The Bears’ last Super Bowl appearance came in the 2006 season, which was during Urlacher’s tenure.
10. Philadelphia Eagles — FB Keith Byars
Philadelphia picked Byars in 1986 from Ohio State. The 6-1, 245-pound fullback carried 750 times for 2,672 yards and 17 touchdowns while catching 371 passes for 3,532 yards and 13 touchdowns from 1986-92. Byars finished out his career playing for the Miami Dolphins (1993-96), New England Patriots (1996-97) and the New York Jets (1998).
11. Tennessee Titans — LT Taylor Lewan
The Chad of an offensive lineman played for the Titans from 2014-22, earning three Pro Bowl selections while playing 105 games, 100 of which he started.
12. Houston Texans — QB Deshaun Watson
The Texans have just one such selection at No. 12 overall, and it was the very player they sent to the Cleveland Browns to possess the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft. The former 2017 first-rounder earned three Pro Bowl nods and was the 2020 NFL passing champion, but an ugly divorce with the organization and numerous sexual misconduct allegations marred his tenure.
13. New York Jets — DE John Abraham
Abraham earned three Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection while playing for the Jets from 2000-05, tallying 220 combined tackles, 55 tackles for loss, 53.5 sacks, six pass breakups, 19 forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries, including one for a touchdown. Abraham finished his career with the Falcons (2006-12) and Cardinals (2013-14).
14. New England Patriots — S Roland James
James played for the Patriots from 1980-90 and was dependable as he started 122 of 145 games played. The Tennessee product generated 29 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries and a safety in his career in New England.
15. Green Bay Packers — RB Jim Taylor
The Hall of Famer was a key part of the Packers offense that won five NFL championships and the first two Super Bowls. Taylor played for Green Bay from 1958-66 and then finished out his career playing a season for the New Orleans Saints.
16. Washington — OLB Ryan Kerrigan
Drafted in 2011, Kerrigan had 95.5 sacks, 120 tackles for loss and 149 quarterback hits through his 156 games with Washington, 141 of which started through the 2020 season. Kerrigan earned four Pro Bowl selections with Washington and finished out his last NFL season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers — WR Charles Johnson
Pittsburgh took Johnson from Colorado in 1994, and he stayed with the team through the 1998 season. He recorded a 1,000-yard season with the Steelers in 1996. Johnson finished out his career with the Philadelphia Eagles (1999-2000), New England Patriots (2001) and Buffalo Bills (2002).
18. Detroit Lions — LT Jeff Backus
Backus started 191 games for Detroit from 2001-12, which means he only missed one game in his entire career.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — TE O.J. Howard
Howard is the only pick the Bucs have made at No. 19 overall. The Alabama product caught 119 passes for 1,737 yards and 15 touchdowns through 59 games, 46 of which he started from 2017-21.
20. Seattle Seahawks — N/A
If the Seahawks hold on their two Round 1 selections, they will be their first ever at those slots in team history.
21. Los Angeles Chargers — N/A
The Chargers have never made a 21st overall pick.
22. Baltimore Ravens — WR Mark Clayton
The former Oklahoma wideout is the only pick the Ravens have ever made at this draft slot. Clayton caught 234 passes for 3,116 yards and 12 touchdowns through 59 games, 76 of which he started from 2005-09. Clayton finished out the last two seasons of his career with the St. Louis Rams.
23. Minnesota Vikings — DT Sharrif Floyd
Floyd played from 2013-16 with the Vikings, collecting 95 tackles and 9.5 sacks through 44 games, 24 of which he started. A knee injury and subsequent complications from the surgery ended his career after just one game played in 2016.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars — N/A
The Jaguars have never made a 25th overall pick.
25. New York Giants — DT William Joseph
New York drafted Joseph in 2003 and he remained with the club through the 2006 season, just before the fun began with Eli Manning. Joseph collected 7.0 sacks and 20 tackles for loss through 55 games, 17 of which he started.
26. Dallas Cowboys — OLB Anthony Spencer
Spencer was the Cowboys’ outside linebacker opposite DeMarcus Ware. Spencer had 33 sacks and 53 tackles for loss through 104 games from 2007-14, 67 of which he started. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2012.
27. Buffalo Bills — G Reggie McKenzie
Technically, the Michigan product was a second-round pick, but nevertheless No. 27 overall. McKenzie was with Buffalo from 1972-82 and was the leader of the “Electric Company,” the nickname for the offensive line that cleared running lanes for O.J. Simpson, the “Juice.” McKenzie started all 147 possible games for the Bills before spending the last two years with the Seattle Seahawks.
28. Cincinnati Bengals — S Darryl Williams
Williams earned a Pro Bowl in his career, but incidentally it was not during either of his two tenures with Cincinnati (1992-95, 2000-01). The former Miami Hurricane collected 531 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, seven pass breakups, 11 interceptions and two pick-sixes through 95 games, 77 of which he started.
29. New Orleans Saints — DT Derland Moore
Moore was a part of Chuck Fairbanks’ 1971 Oklahoma team that crushed Auburn 40-22 in the Sugar Bowl, and that is where his football career continued. The Saints took Moore No. 29 overall in the second round, and the defensive tackle stayed with the club for 170 games from 1972-82. Moore played one final season with the Jets.
30. Philadelphia Eagles — CB Eric Allen
Actually a second-round pick, Allen was solid with the Eagles from 1988-94, earning six Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection. Allen played with the New Orleans Saints (1995-97) and the Oakland Raiders (1998-2001).
31. Kansas City Chiefs — OT Trezelle Jenkins
Jenkins was a first-round pick from Michigan in 1995. The former Wolverine’s career in Kansas City did not pan out as he started in just one game among his nine from 1995-97.
